Downer vs Hackett

Downer is the younger of the two, with a median age of 35 against 40 in Hackett. In both, most households own their home and most homes are detached houses. In Hackett, about half of households are couple families. Downer is closer to the city centre: 5.5 km, against 6.5 km. On these figures, Downer tends to suit young adults and share households, while Hackett suits couples.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Hackett

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is already more of a family suburb (61% vs 50%)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Hackett

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • has cheaper units ($368,000 vs $492,500)

Weighs house prices, unit prices, and mortgage stress.

Renters

They split

one each way, out of the 3 things we measure here

  • Downer has a bigger rental market to choose from (37% vs 24%)
  • Hackett has cheaper rent ($374/wk vs $420/wk)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Downer

ahead on 2 of the 4 things we measure here

  • gets more of its commuters onto trains and trams (5% vs 0%)
  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 64/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, rail access, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Downer

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is more walkable (77/100 vs 64/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Hackett

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • returns a higher gross yield on units (6.9% vs 4.0%)
  • returns a higher gross yield on houses (4.0% vs 3.3%)
  • But Downer is growing faster (17.3% vs 7.9%)

Weighs house yield, unit yield, and population growth.

Where they sit

Downer and Hackett drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Downer Hackett
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Downer Hackett
Walkability 77 / 64
Downer — Walkability: 77/100 Hackett — Walkability: 64/100
Safety 45 / 44
Downer — Safety: 45/100 Hackett — Safety: 44/100
Low fire risk 100 / 32
Downer — Low fire risk: 100/100 Hackett — Low fire risk: 32/100
Low flood risk 83 / 100
Downer — Low flood risk: 83/100 Hackett — Low flood risk: 100/100

Demographics

Downer has more residents (4,296 vs 3,227); Hackett has higher household incomes ($136,396 vs $117,884).

Downer Hackett
Population 4,296
+25% vs other
 3,227
Population trend (2016 → 2021) +17.3% +7.9%
Median age 35 40
Median household income $117,884/yr $136,396/yr
+16% vs other
Median weekly rent $420/wk
+11% vs other
 $374/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Downer Hackett
0-4 6.3% / 5.5%
Downer — 0-4: 6.3% Hackett — 0-4: 5.5%
5-14 11.5% / 15.3%
Downer — 5-14: 11.5% Hackett — 5-14: 15.3%
15-19 4.5% / 6.4%
Downer — 15-19: 4.5% Hackett — 15-19: 6.4%
20-24 8.7% / 4.7%
Downer — 20-24: 8.7% Hackett — 20-24: 4.7%
25-34 17.5% / 10.4%
Downer — 25-34: 17.5% Hackett — 25-34: 10.4%
35-44 18.0% / 14.8%
Downer — 35-44: 18.0% Hackett — 35-44: 14.8%
45-54 12.1% / 16.1%
Downer — 45-54: 12.1% Hackett — 45-54: 16.1%
55-64 8.7% / 11.7%
Downer — 55-64: 8.7% Hackett — 55-64: 11.7%
65-74 6.8% / 7.5%
Downer — 65-74: 6.8% Hackett — 65-74: 7.5%
75-84 4.2% / 5.2%
Downer — 75-84: 4.2% Hackett — 75-84: 5.2%
85+ 1.7% / 2.7%
Downer — 85+: 1.7% Hackett — 85+: 2.7%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.0%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Downer 38.1% couple families
Downer — Couple Families: 38.1% Downer — Lone Person: 35.5% Downer — One Parent Families: 12.3% Downer — Group Household: 12.2% Downer — Other Families: 1.9%
Hackett 48.2% couple families
Hackett — Couple Families: 48.2% Hackett — Lone Person: 33.0% Hackett — One Parent Families: 12.4% Hackett — Group Household: 5.0% Hackett — Other Families: 1.5%
Couple Families Lone Person One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Downer 37.0% renting
Downer — Owned Outright: 27.6% Downer — Mortgage: 35.4% Downer — Renting: 37.0%
Hackett 23.7% renting
Hackett — Owned Outright: 37.8% Hackett — Mortgage: 38.5% Hackett — Renting: 23.7%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Downer Hackett
Bachelor Degree 22.8% / 22.2%
Downer — Bachelor Degree: 22.8% Hackett — Bachelor Degree: 22.2%
Postgraduate Degree 15.6% / 16.7%
Downer — Postgraduate Degree: 15.6% Hackett — Postgraduate Degree: 16.7%
Certificate III & IV 6.6% / 5.3%
Downer — Certificate III & IV: 6.6% Hackett — Certificate III & IV: 5.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.4% / 4.9%
Downer — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.4% Hackett — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 4.9%
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 4.3% / 5.6%
Downer — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 4.3% Hackett — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 5.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (22.8%).

Where residents were born

Largest overseas birthplaces, as a share of all residents, 2021 Census. A dash means that country is not among the suburb's own eight largest.

Downer Hackett
England 3.0% / 4.1%
Downer — England: 3.0% Hackett — England: 4.1%
China 2.7% / 0.7%
Downer — China: 2.7% Hackett — China: 0.7%
New Zealand 1.1% / 1.3%
Downer — New Zealand: 1.1% Hackett — New Zealand: 1.3%
India 1.9% / 0.5%
Downer — India: 1.9% Hackett — India: 0.5%
Vietnam 1.5% / —
Downer — Vietnam: 1.5% Hackett — Vietnam: not among its largest
Canada — / 0.7%
Downer — Canada: not among its largest Hackett — Canada: 0.7%
Greece — / 0.6%
Downer — Greece: not among its largest Hackett — Greece: 0.6%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (4.1%).

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Downer 67.2% houses
Downer — Houses: 67.2% Downer — Townhouses: 16.1% Downer — Flats / Apartments: 16.8%
Hackett 76.2% houses
Hackett — Houses: 76.2% Hackett — Townhouses: 14.4% Hackett — Flats / Apartments: 9.4%
Houses Townhouses Flats / Apartments

Property market

Downer Hackett
Median house price $1,190,000 $1,275,000
Median unit price $492,500 $368,000
Median land price —
same for both
Typical days to sell (houses) 20 days
from 50 sales
 21 days
from 38 sales

House price by bedroom count

Only bed counts both suburbs published enough sales for. Sale counts are shown because the buckets differ in depth.

Downer Hackett
3 bed $1.15M / $1.19M
Downer — 3 bed: $1.15M (52 sales) Hackett — 3 bed: $1.19M (36 sales)

52 vs 36 sales

4 bed $1.32M / $1.43M
Downer — 4 bed: $1.32M (20 sales) Hackett — 4 bed: $1.43M (25 sales)

20 vs 25 sales

Development activity

Downer Hackett
New dwellings approved 3,750
across Unincorporated ACT
same for both
Approvals change year on year -48%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Downer Hackett
Houses 3.3%
$710/wk on $1.12M
 4.0%
$908/wk on $1.2M
Units 4.0%
$455/wk on $594K
 6.9%
$490/wk on $370K

Ranking within ACT

Downer Hackett
House price —
same for both
Income Higher than 35% of ACT Higher than 71% of ACT
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 79% of ACT Higher than 54% of ACT
Affordability —
same for both
EV adoption Higher than 83% of ACT Higher than 85% of ACT
NBN connectivity Higher than 37% of ACT Higher than 14% of ACT
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 11% of ACT Higher than 29% of ACT
Rental yield (units) Higher than 7% of ACT Higher than 83% of ACT

Liveability

Downer is more walkable (77 vs 64); Downer scores higher overall (72 vs 67).

Downer Hackett
Grade A
same for both
Score 72/100 67/100
Socio-economic band very advantaged area
decile 10/10
same for both

Risk profile

Hackett carries more bushfire risk (68 vs 0); Downer carries more flood risk (17 vs 0).

Downer Hackett
Bushfire None
0/100
 Moderate
68/100
Crime Moderate
55/100
 Moderate
56/100
Flood Low
17/100
 None
0/100
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 6
within 5 km
 2
within 5 km

Schools

Downer Hackett
Inside the suburb 0 1
Rated above peers 0
same for both
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both
Universities within 10 km 3
Australian National University, 4.4 km
 3
Australian National University, 5.6 km
Full-time students aged 15–24 4.2% 2.7%

Schools in Downer

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Hackett

  • Blue Gum Community School Independent · Combined

Amenities in the suburb

Downer Hackett
Supermarkets 0 1
Cafes & restaurants 1
same for both
Parks & reserves 0 1
Childcare 1 2

Mobility

Downer Hackett
Walkability score 77/100 64/100
Distance to Canberra 5.5 km 6.5 km
+18% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 12 min 13 min
Public transport score 78/100
Bus
 72/100
Bus
Peak arrivals per hour 51.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
 24.5
7-9am + 5-7pm
Median peak wait 1 min
scheduled, not actual
same for both
Electric vehicle share 4.3%
postcode 2602
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 30
postcode 2602
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Downer Hackett
Car (driver) 60.2% / 60.1%
Downer — Car (driver): 60.2% Hackett — Car (driver): 60.1%
Worked from Home 13.9% / 16.1%
Downer — Worked from Home: 13.9% Hackett — Worked from Home: 16.1%
Bicycle 8.4% / 11.6%
Downer — Bicycle: 8.4% Hackett — Bicycle: 11.6%
Car (passenger) 5.4% / 5.8%
Downer — Car (passenger): 5.4% Hackett — Car (passenger): 5.8%
Bus 4.8% / 4.2%
Downer — Bus: 4.8% Hackett — Bus: 4.2%
Tram / Light Rail 5.4% / 0.2%
Downer — Tram / Light Rail: 5.4% Hackett — Tram / Light Rail: 0.2%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (60.2%).

Setting

Downer Hackett
Elevation 588 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 615 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Downer Hackett
Connectivity score 50/100 45/100
Most common technology Fibre to the node
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 10%
1,880 premises
 1%
1,360 premises

Climate

Downer Hackett
Annual rainfall 622 mm
same for both
Summer max (Jan) 28.5°C
same for both
Winter min (Jul) 0.8°C
same for both

Air quality (annual mean)

Downer Hackett
PM2.5 5.4 µg/m³
same for both
PM10 14.1 µg/m³
same for both
NO₂ —
same for both

Council rates

Downer Hackett
Average residential rate $3,105/yr
same for both
Council Unincorporated ACT
same for both

Federal electorate

Downer Hackett
Division Canberra
same for both
Member Alicia Payne
same for both
Party Australian Labor Party
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Downer Hackett
Grant amount Not offered
same for both
Property price cap —
same for both
Eligibility None
same for both

Tags

Downer

Inner Professionals

Hackett

Inner Parks Premium Professionals

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Downer

Downer vs Watson Downer vs Lyneham Downer vs Dickson

Other comparisons with Hackett

Hackett vs Watson Hackett vs Ainslie Hackett vs Dickson
Full data on Downer Full data on Hackett
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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